Prior art in this area is focused on a sea salt shot glass which imitates the traditional shot glass that is common place in bars, restaurants, and souvenir shops worldwide and is usually made from glass or like material and used for the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Shot glasses vary in sizes, shapes, and decorative patterns, but the one universal constant is that they are comprised mainly of glass or similar solid stable and transparent materials. In the field of this invention, there are shot glasses made of metals such as copper, plastics, ice or other materials including salt. However, this invention is not limited to being a receptacle for merely alcoholic beverage, but encompasses the gamut of food items and/or items suitable for consumption.
It is well known that salt is used as a flavoring agent for food as well as drinks, including alcoholic beverages such as tequila, margaritas, bloody mary, vodka, beer, or even bourbon. Although salt is used to enhance the taste of these beverages, it may also serve as a decorative feature of a shot glass or drink glass (e.g. around the rim of a margarita glass). Generally, the salt used in bars and restaurants is iodized salt or refined table salt. However, there has been a trend towards using unrefined salt, namely sea salt, which adds a richer flavor to food and beverages. The origin of unrefined or natural sea salt plays a role in its richness and flavor. Natural sea salt has its trace minerals left intact giving a richer, more complex flavor than table salt and there are no additives. The texture of natural sea salt varies from region to region, harvester to harvester and is surprisingly different around the world. It can be a thin crisp flake, a coarse chunk, or a tiny pearl. The color can be white or grey or pink. Some salt is completely dry while some is left moist. There are many styles of natural sea salt to choose from which opens up a world of experimentation.
There has been experimentation with the salt shot glass, comprised completely from salt and allows for the pouring of liquid into a salt lined receptacle. However, these variations on the salt shot glass require immediate consumption of any liquid poured into it due to the rapid erosion of the salt, the mixing of the salt and liquid in proportions which corrupts the flavor of the liquid, and if left for too long the leaking of liquid from the salt shot glass. In order to maintain the integrity and stability of the salt shot glass, the origin and composition of the salt must be such that it is resistant to erosion at room or normal indoor temperatures, as well as being hard enough to withstand breaking and crumbling when packaged and shipped. In addition, these sea salt shot glasses are not suitable for the consumption of solid or semi-solid food items such as chilled soups or stews or ceviche style dishes. A more suitable design is for a cup or similar receptacle made entirely of salt which overcomes the limitations of the traditional shot glass.